Public Policy

From Knowledge to Action Forum

New! (November 27/08) The final report of the From Knowledge to Action forum is now available. Click here to access the report.

From Knowledge To Action: A community forum on the housing crisis facing low-income people with mental health issues living in Winnipeg.

On Thursday June 5th, the Canadian Mental Health Association (Winnipeg Region), the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society, and Legal Aid Manitoba hosted From Knowledge to Action, a one day community forum. The purpose of the forum was to address the housing crisis facing low-income people with mental health issues living in Winnipeg, a crisis evidenced by long waiting lists for social housing and the many people resorting to inadequate housing, such as rooming houses and residential hotels. The forum had both community and legal components. The morning session focused on community organization and gave forum participants the opportunity to discuss strategies for improving the current housing situation. The afternoon session focused on testing the merits of potential legal challenges directed at the inadequate shelter allowance and the failure of Winnipeg’s zoning regime to reasonably accommodate the needs of low income people with mental health issues.

The information backgrounder that was prepared for the forum's participants can be accessed here.

Presenters included:

Sid Frankel – Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba
Susan Mulligan – Research Associate, University of Winnipeg Institute of Urban Studies
Shereese Qually – Associate, Taylor McCaffrey LLP
Byron Williams – Director, Public Interest Law Centre

The forum participants included community organizations, consumers,
academics, and legal practitioners.

Legal Aid Manitoba’s Public Interest Law Centre will be compiling a report of the forum’s recommendations. This will assist the forum’s sponsors with planning our next steps in the struggle for improving housing for low income people with mental health issues in Winnipeg. The report, when completed, will be available here.

Presentations from the forum’s presenters are now available below:

Shereese Qually PowerPoint PDF
Sid Frankel
Susan Mulligan
  


Housing Forum Photos


Chris Summerville - Manitoba Schizophrenia Society


Housing Forum Participants


Sid Frankel - Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba


Shereese Qually - Associate, Taylor McCaffrey LLP


The Planning Committee - From left to right: Susan Knowles, Bob MacFadyen, Nicole Chammartin,
Chris Summerville, Rachel Gotthilf, and Byron Williams

Organizations Present at Forum